Tannin compounds from cranberries and pomegranate may slow the digestion of starch and offer specific dietary approaches to control blood sugar levels, suggests a new study in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Extracts from cranberry in particular were associated with significant inhibition of the starch digesting enzymes alpha-amylase and glucoamylase, with pomegranate and grape tannins also showing good inhibitory effects. This inhibitory effectiveness suggests the likelihood of specific dietary approaches for modulating digestion rates in vivo and thus assisting in control of blood glucose levels.
Current glucosidase inhibitors, such as acarbose and miglitol, are said to produce diarrhea and other intestinal disturbances.
In general, larger and more complex tannins, such as those in pomegranate and cranberry, more effectively inhibited the enzymes than did less polymerized tannins, such as cocoa.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment